Candidates Excel in Team USA Scholarship ShootoutThe quest to select two talented young American race car drivers to represent the Team USA Scholarship in a pair of prestigious end-of-season Formula Ford events in England continued this week as six worthy candidates were put through their paces at Andersen RacePark in Palmetto, Fla.

The contestants – Joey Bickers, 21, from Seattle, Wash.; Jake Eidson, 18, from Littleton, Colo.; Sean Rayhall, 18, from Winston, Ga.; Skylar Robinson, 17, from Augusta, Ga.; Adrian Starrantino, 18, from Simi Valley, Calif.; and Aaron Telitz, 21, from Birchwood, Wis. – have all made their mark this season, winning races in a variety of series and categories.

AJ Allmendinger will become the full-time driver of the No. 47 Sprint Cup car for JTG Daugherty Racing in 2014, sources told ESPN.com on Thursday.

Allmendinger has accepted a three-year deal to replace Bobby Labonte, who has been in the car since 2011. A formal announcement is expected Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Allmendinger will drive the 47 in Sunday's Cup race.

Allmendinger began a five-race schedule in the 47 this summer at Michigan as the organization sought to improve performance. In three races for JTG Daugherty, Allmendinger has an average finish of 17th, compared to 27.7 for Labonte.

The EuroSpeedway Lausitz "would like to receive financial support from the state government and therefore hopes for a positive response from the European Union," according to Norman Fischer of MOTORSPORT TOTAL. The racetrack, which opened in 2000, "is looking at an uncertain future." The track's contract with the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) "has not been extended yet, and with the Berlin Tempelhof airport closed it might get competition in its region." In addition, the racetrack "has some financial issues."

The circuit "needs to renew its asphalt surface, but a complete renovation of the EuroSpeedway would cost millions." EuroSpeedway Managing Dir Bert Poensgen said, "We definitely can't afford that. Our business is unfortunately not that profitable." The racetrack "hopes to receive financial support and counts on the European Union." Poensgen: "Our request concerns the general distribution of public subsidies for sport facilities and more specifically racetracks." MOTORSPORT TOTAL

F1 pitstop rules tighten for SingaporeFormula 1 teams will be required to fit improved wheel retention systems from the Singapore Grand Prix in a bid to improve pitlane safety, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Amid an increased focus on pitstop safety after an FOM cameraman was injured when he was hit by a loose wheel at the German GP, the FIA has requested that teams change their designs after the Italian GP.

F1's regulations already demand that teams must fit wheel retention devices - but there has been no stipulation on the exact design of these.

2014 NHRA Schedule ReleasedThe National Hot Rod Ass’n announced its 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule today, which includes a return to racing Memorial Day weekend with the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, May 23-25.

Also in 2014, NHRA will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the biggest and most prestigious event in all of NHRA Drag Racing, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Labor Day weekend, Aug. 27-Sept. 1. Another tradition-rich event will celebrate its 50th anniversary: the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.). That race will again provide the stage for the season finale, Nov. 13-16. NHRA will be announcing activities, events and promotions for both milestone anniversary races that will make each one a must-attend event for NHRA fans.

Indy Road Course test scheduleFor only the second time in the track's history, an IZOD IndyCar Series car will turn laps on the infield road course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when driver Graham Rahal puts his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car through a series of test runs on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

The test is being organized by IMS and INDYCAR officials to gather information about the current course layout as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway considers changes and upgrades to the track. Speedway officials plan to invest nearly $100 million in the facility as part of a long term master plan that could include modifications to the road course to allow it to accommodate INDYCAR testing or racing in the future.

Schumacher signs EUR 21m cap sponsor deal(GMM) He is no longer seen in the F1 paddocks, but Michael Schumacher has just secured a lucrative sponsorship deal that will be the envy of most of today's grand prix stars.

Bild newspaper reports that the seven time world champion, 44, has extended his contract with German investment company Deutsche Vermogensberatung.

Since 1996, the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver, now retired, has worn the long-winded word - or the shorter acronym DVAG - on the front of his cap.

Thursday's media report said Schumacher's new seven-year deal is estimated to be worth about EUR 21 million euros, or 3 million per year.

Still trying to live up to family name, Marco Andretti showing signs of improvement

Marco Andretti

The skeptics have followed Marco Andretti ever since he was old enough to drive a go-kart.

Just as the offspring and siblings of stars in other sports often struggle to live up to the family name, Andretti's accomplishments in his eight-year IndyCar Series career have paled in comparison to his father, Michael, whose own career fell in the shadow of legendary family patriarch Mario Andretti.

Initially, Marco quieted the whispers when he finished a close second in his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2006 and three months later won his first IndyCar race as a 19-year-old rookie. Andretti remains the youngest driver to have ever won an IndyCar event.

Kurt Busch still interested in Indy 500Greg Zipadelli, crew chief both times Tony Stewart ran the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, is no fan of the grueling doubleheader. It's a position he made clear last October to Danica Patrick as she was trying to put together an Indy 500 deal that would interfere with her first full season of Sprint Cup racing.

Now Zipadelli has a new problem on his hands: Kurt Busch, the newest addition at Stewart-Haas Racing, said he's still trying to put together a deal to run next year's Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport. "It's something that's still on the table," Busch said Tuesday when he was introduced at SHR.

Bobby Labonte will miss this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta after a cycling accident.

Labonte sustained three broken ribs in a bicycle accident Wednesday morning. He was riding his bike near his Trinity, N.C., home when the crash occurred. He was transported to a local hospital, where he is being held overnight for observation.

The 2000 Cup Series champion will miss this weekend's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he was to drive the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing. Mike Bliss will substitute.

Mercedes tops satisfaction survey; overall industry score dipsMercedes-Benz became the new leader in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, while three Japanese brands led their non-luxury counterparts.

The German luxury automaker scored 88 on a scale of 0 to 100, ascending to the top spot after Lincoln, last year's winner, stopped being measured because of low market share.

"With gasoline costs headed toward $5 per gallon and $10 per gallon quite imaginable in a few years, do GM and others have the right idea? Will plug-in electric cars be our way out of this world's endless thirst for pollution generating fossil fuels? Is it inconceivable that electricity from clean nuclear power plants could replace oil and gas as our primary source of fuel? Every serious effort at carbon accounting reaches the same conclusion: Nukes win." Mark Cipolloni, AR1.com May 19, 2008

(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Motors Inc.'s market value exceeded $20 billion for part of the day as investors remain optimistic that Elon Musk can keep widening the appeal of electric-powered cars.

The shares earlier in the day soared to a record $173 before closing at $164.23 in afternoon trading, up 1.5 percent for the day. Shares of the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company, which had its initial public offering just three years ago, have surged about fivefold this year.

Tesla intends to deliver 21,000 units of its flagship Model S electric sedans this year and double that in 2014. CEO Musk, 42, has said demand for the car, priced from about $70,000, currently outstrips Tesla's ability to make it.

Ecclestone says New Jersey F1 race is off (Or is it? 3rd Update)UPDATE #3 F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "is insisting that the Grand Prix of America could still find a place on the 2014 F1 calendar, despite having said last week that the New Jersey event definitely won't be happening due to lack of funds," according to Adam Cooper of AUTOWEEK. However, he "has also made it clear that he is running out of patience, having already postponed the race's planned debut from this season."

A '14 F1 schedule "is expected to emerge either at or just before the FIA World Motor Sport Council gathering on Sept. 27," and Ecclestone confirmed that is "more or less" the cut-off point for New Jersey. In essence, the New Jersey promoters "have to come up with some cash."

Australian Grand Prix Chair Ron Walker To Negotiate New F1 Contract With EcclestoneThe Napthine government has given Australian Grand Prix Chair Ron Walker the green light to negotiate a new Australian F1 Grand Prix contract with F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "despite crippling losses and the F1 boss facing corruption charges in Germany," according to John Ferguson of THE AUSTRALIAN.

Tourism Minister Louise Asher Wednesday announced that "taxpayers had bailed out this year's F1 grand prix and last year's Australian MotoGP" to the tune of nearly A$57M ($51M), adding to total losses of hundreds of millions since the mid-'90s. While Asher noted an improvement in revenue and some cost savings, "the losses will weigh heavily on the government as it seeks to sign a contract extension" after the '15 car race. Asher said that Melbourne's A$1.4B major events calendar "was underpinned by the F1 race and the investment represented good value for the community." THE AUSTRALIAN

They say the third time is the charm, and it's likely that this year's running of the Baltimore Grand Prix will go a lot further toward answering the crucial question that the first two iterations of the ostensibly annual event left unclear. Can IndyCar auto racing establish itself as a viable permanent institution in Baltimore City, or will it turn out to be a well-intentioned but failed experiment that in the end was unable to meet the high expectations of its supporters?

Much of the answer will depend on how many people turn out for the race, how enthusiastic a reception they give it, and what the economic impact of their presence is on the downtown area's hotels, restaurants and other businesses. But even more telling than those measures will be whether the race's organizers can producing convincing evidence that the race is an economically viable event that can operate as a money-making enterprise without a massive financial commitment from the city to prop it up.

Harry Scott, Jr. Reaches Agreement with Phoenix RacingHarry Scott, Jr. has come to a definitive agreement with James Finch to purchase Phoenix Racing. Scott will formally take over control of the team as its owner on September 10, 2013 with Justin Allgaier behind the wheel of the #51 Chevy in time for the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

"This is a very proud day for me as I will have the opportunity to compete against the best teams in motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the owner of Phoenix Racing," said Scott. "I am going to build a championship contender with hard work, the right people and the right partners. This team has a great foundation thanks to the efforts of James Finch. There is a lot to build upon and I am looking forward to getting started." Scott's role as a co-owner in Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) is unchanged and he will continue to take an active role in that team on and off the track.

ESPN, Turner in talks exit money-losing NASCAR contract early (Update)UPDATE NASCAR issued a statement today in which its VP/Broadcasting & Production Steve Herbst said, “Despite recent reports to the contrary, nothing substantive has been presented to NASCAR regarding broadcast partners’ plans to alter our TV agreement in 2014. We’re very happy with our current broadcast partners and fully expect and are excited to be back with FOX, Turner and ESPN next year. These types of discussions happen regularly across the sports television landscape, very rarely resulting in changes to a media rights agreement.” This is in response to a SportsBusiness Journal report out Monday and cited in SBD yesterday.

08/26/13 ESPN and Turner Sports are talking with NASCAR about getting out of their [money-losing] broadcast rights agreement a year early, a move that could allow Fox Sports and NBC Sports Group to become the sport’s broadcasters next year.

It’s unlikely that the four TV companies will be able to reach a deal, sources say. But the fact that these types of talks are occurring is precedent-setting in an industry where live sports rights are held sacred. For at least the past decade, no rights holder has exited a major media agreement with a property early.

It’s not unusual for cameras to follow Patrick Dempsey’s every move, be it in his “day job” as an actor, his personal life or his racing pursuits.

However, keen observers may have noticed more cameras than usual following his Dempsey Del Piero Racing team through the early stages of the 2013 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr¢n season. In fact, the cameras started rolling in 2012, when the Hollywood star competed in both the ALMS and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.

On August 16th at Pacific Raceways in Seattle, Washington, the King Kong COPO, which is also sponsored by American Racing Wheels, Whipple Superchargers and Castrol, piloted by veteran driver Eric Reyes with Vince Porter handling the Crew Chief duties, set a record in the AA/SA (Stock Automatic) Class with a run of 9.05 seconds (149 mph).

Montoya's replacement to be announced FridayEarnhardt Ganassi Racing has scheduled a press conference to announce the new driver of the #42 Target Chevy on Friday at 2:35pm/et at Atlanta Motor Speedway

NJ F1 race boss says event is still on (Update)UPDATE With rumors continuing to circulate the paddock about the future of the proposed Grand Prix of America in New Jersey, this GPUpdate.net, exclusive interview, confirms what AR1.com's inside sources told us back on July 25th (below). GPUpdate.net spoke to race organizer Leo Hindery Jr.for an update on the present situation. After the upset of a postponement, hopes of joining the Formula 1 calendar in 2014 remain undeterred.

How has development been progressing for the Grand Prix this year?

Leo Hindery Jr.

We stumbled pretty badly; certainly we had hoped that we would be racing in 2013. We put some fairly high hurdles in front of us, the least of which was that we insisted that it be done only with private capital and no assistance from either the municipalities or the state. It’s something that I believe in strongly, but in a difficult financial market it became clear late last fall, really early in the winter that we would not make 2013.

With a lot of support and frankly more patience than Bernie Ecclestone needed to give us, we had several more months to get it back on-track. We know that with his blessing we now have a 15-year executed sanctioning agreement that will allow us to race some time each June. Were it not for similar support from the Tilke organization, specifically Peter Wahl and no less from [FIA Race Director] Charlie Whiting, I think I’d be pulling out what little hair I have left!

Gene Haas is worth hundreds of millions of dollars as the owner of Haas Automation, a company that makes CNC machines, and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch will join Stewart-Haas in 2014 with sponsorship from Haas Automation in a deal initially brokered by Haas without input from business partner and team co-owner Tony Stewart.

“(Stewart) has a lot of power,” Haas said Tuesday when announcing the deal. “I have to admit, I have some power, too. … He was taken aback a little bit by it.

An MRI on Monday confirmed a scaphoid fracture and sprain of #56-Martin Truex Jr.'s right wrist suffered in Saturday night's accident at Bristol Motor Speedway. Doctors fitted Truex with a special cast Tuesday he'll wear indefinitely. The cast enables him to better grip the steering wheel and compete in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway as well as the 11 remaining races.

Truex worked closely with NASCAR this week and has been cleared to race. A multi-car crash collected Truex on lap 448 Saturday sending the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota into the outside wall. Truex was treated in the medical center Saturday. MWR has yet to determine if a stand-by driver is needed for this weekend. Truex is 14th in the points and holds the first of two wildcard entries as he seeks his second consecutive berth in NASCAR's Chase the for Sprint Cup. MWR PR

INDYCAR Stars to Test at Auto Club Speedway for Upcoming MAVTV 500IZOD IndyCar Series test in preparation for the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships race under the lights at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013.

Sonoma IndyCar TV rating up 27%The Aug. 25th GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma was the most-watched IZOD IndyCar Series race on NBC Sports Network this season. Viewership was up 27 percent over the August 2012 race. The 2012 IndyCar race at Sonoma drew 308,000 viewers for a 0.2 U.S. household rating, so the 27 percent increase means 391,000 viewers were tuned in this year and the rating would be 0.254. Now they're cooking.....not.

The fallout from the IndyCar Series’ chaotic weekend race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway continued Tuesday with confirmation that lines will mark pit boxes at future races, beginning with Sunday’s street race in Baltimore.

The lack of lines was a key part of the controversy surrounding Scott Dixon’s impact of a Team Penske tire on pit road. The tire held by a crew member of Will Power’s knocked two people to the ground and injured a third person’s ankle when he was struck by a flying air gun.

Dixon was issued a drive-through penalty that dropped him from the lead of the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma to 21st place. He finished 15th as Power won.

NASCAR Bristol Sprint Cup TV Rating (Update)UPDATE With an average of 6.3 million people watching, ABC’s live telecast of the Irwin Tools Night Race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Saturday night, Aug. 24, was the most-viewed version of the race since ESPN and ABC returned to live NASCAR coverage in 2007.

The viewership average of 6,322,082 was up from the average of 5,905,051 from last year’s race, according to the Nielsen Company. The telecast earned a 3.9 U.S. household rating, up from a 3.7 for last year’s race, despite the race not airing on ABC in seven markets due to ABC affiliates airing NFL pre-season football games.

Video: Penske on Power's win in Sonoma, talk with MarcoRoger Penske tells Robin Miller about his pit lane argument with Marco Andretti, Will Power finally getting a win after a prolonged dry spell and the pit lane infraction that cost Scott Dixon a chance at victory. Racer Magazine report Link

Baltimore could be a bigger success if not for 11 months of the year of negative news

Organizers of the Izod IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Baltimore said that they "don't see 2013 as a make-or-break year," according to Gary Haber of the BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL. But many people in Baltimore and beyond "will be watching to see" what event organizer Race On LLC "can do with a full year to plan the race." Last year's event sold 131,000 tickets, "down from 160,000" in '11.

While Race On officials said that they "expect to top last year’s attendance," they "won’t say by how much." Race On has been advertising this year's race "in TV markets stretching from South Jersey to Richmond." Race On also has "made progress in bringing on new sponsors," as it signed "several this year, including Phillips Office Solutions, Southern Wine & Spirits, Esskay and watch-maker Ritmo Mundo."

If NJ F1 race happens, it will be in autumnF1 boss Bernie Ecclestone told AutoWeek that if the NJ promoters come up with the money before September 27th, the race can be on for 2014, but not in June as originally assumed.

"If the race is eventually confirmed, it is set for an autumn date," said Ecclestone.

“We'll worry about it when it happens," he said.. "But it never was going to be June. Let's see. We used to have the race in Watkins Glen in October.”

Juan Pablo Montoya could prove in IndyCar that he has lost none of his talent, reckons Chip Ganassi Racing general manager Mike Hull.

The Colombian has been linked to a return to single-seater racing following the news that he will not be part of Ganassi's NASCAR plans beyond this season.

The Colombian spent his Champ Car career as part of Ganassi's line-up, and retains links with its IndyCar team via the Daytona 24 Hours, for which Ganassi deploys IndyCar personnel to run the cars.

Andretti Autosport has already confirmed that it has made contact with Montoya about 2014, and while Hull made no suggestion that Montoya is in the frame to rejoin his team, he believes that he would be an asset to the series as a whole.

IndyCar best racing in USA - More fender rubbing than NASCARMonday was just as spirited for the IndyCar Series following a rough afternoon at Sonoma Raceway.

In the Sunday race, five drivers were black-flagged for avoidable contact, six if the race leader’s controversial call on pit road is factored in. There was an event-record seven full-course cautions. Afterward, a former champion criticized the race director.

Even those who have seen everything in the sport shook their heads at what they saw.

“Not sure what to say about yesterday,” Bobby Rahal said in a Monday morning Twitter posting. “But I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much reckless driving. More fender rubbing than NASCAR!”

Mike Hull hammers IndyCarTarget Chip Ganassi Racing's Managing Director Mike Hull hammered IndyCar on 1260 AM Radio Station saying the controversy around the Scott Dixon penalty at Sonoma for hitting Penske Racing's crew members has brought more media attention to the series than anything the series does to promote itself. We were on all three network morning shows. We made network for the wrong reasons.

"The marketing side of this business needs a big kick to get us moving forward so we can be seen. I am not a marketing guy, I am a racing guy. They have been talking about the Boston Consulting Group this and the Baltimore Consulting group that.

What started as a hugely popular event has sadly become nothing but negative news in the press for the other 11 months of the year

[Editor's Note: Apparently the editor's of the Baltimore Sun have decided the Grand Prix must go or they would not have published this article that concludes the GP does not fit the image of the city's future. Where is IndyCar promoting its brand in Baltimore? There is near-zero promotion of the series by IndyCar itself. They only appear to care about the Indy 500 and collecting a sanctioning fee from race promoters....until they go bankrupt and the race goes away. Can't build a fan base with a constant turnover of venues and drivers.]

This will be the third year in a row that Baltimore tries to get its head wrapped around an IndyCar race on our downtown boulevards, and the question is: Are we there yet? Is Baltimore now a Grand Prix town, and is that even something we want?

The world is divided between people who like cilantro and people who hate cilantro, those who like bluegrass music and those who like music, those who fancy motor sports and those who cannot stand them. (I've seen speedboat races, air races, stock cars, funny cars, classic dragsters, Le Mans series, Formula One, and my favorite motor sport remains demolition derby.)

In racing, sometimes you just have to laughThe Ganassi IndyCar team are frustrated that their man Scott Dixon lost the Sonoma race because of a penalty call by race officials after Dixon knocked down a couple of Penske crew members on pitlane. So to break the tension in the air, let us tell you about Ralph and Edna.

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end.

Not since the last day of June had Fernando Alonso been able to wave to the crowd from the podium. That was at Silverstone when he was third in the British Grand Prix and today, he went one better with a fine second place. The ever confident Ferrari man had said he could win this race, even after qualifying only ninth yesterday and given that the winning Vettel-Red Bull combination looked unbeatable Sunday, this was a fantastic result.

RTL, Sky Score High Ratings With Their Belgium F1 Grand Prix BroadcastsGerman free-to-air TV channel RTL "recorded successful ratings for its broadcast of the Belgium F1 Grand Prix on Sunday," according to Alexander Krei of DWDL. An average of 5.75 million viewers watched the race, which was won by Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel. The number translated into a market share of 34.9%. In the target demographic 14-49, RTL obtained a 29.3% market share. In addition, German pay-TV channel Sky attracted 400,000 viewers for its coverage from Spa. Sky's broadcast obtained a 2.8% share in the target demographic. DWDL

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